A Little Sooner
by RASENGAN087
Summary: What if Naruto was born 5 years earlier? What if the Kyuubi still attacked, only sooner? It's been 17 years since then and now Naruto is a jounin and getting his own team of gennin. Pairings Undecided. AU Alternate Universe. T for now.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Before you read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**First of I would like to say thanks for reading and reviewing. And that I don't own Naruto but I do own Kusari Akito, my own OC. **

**Anyways I gotta say that this is an Older!Naruto fic and is completely AU so don't complain too much bout that. Naruto is 5 years older then in the Canon and is the same age as Itachi. His parents are still the 4****th**** Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina though he doesn't know it yet and he has already met the Kyuubi. **

**Chapter 1:Uzumaki Naruto**

_I exist only as the power of human sacrifice. The creation of those who despise me. I am doomed to serve under the pre-tense of one word. Jinchuuriki. _

He twisted and turned. Anything to stop the voice in his head.

_We can't anything about it Naruto. We are weapons. We exist only to serve._

Sweat glistened onto his forehead. A small whimper escaped his lips.

_Naruto…Please. Make it stop. Finish me. End my pain. Please._

He screamed. His eyes snapped open and darted from side to side. A small but relieved sigh was let out.

It was only a nightmare. An effective one, but a nightmare nonetheless.

He clenched his fists. Blood leaking out from where his fingernails were digging into his skin.

Why? Why was it always this nightmare? Could he not get one nights rest without the guilt eating through him?

His thoughts shifted to the conversation he had years ago with Kusari Akito, Iwa's jinchuuriki and a master of long range combat.

_--Flashback---_

_It was during his first diplomatic mission to Iwagakure that he first saw him._

_Kusari Akito. The container of the Gobi no Houkou or Five Tailed Dog and a chunnin of the Rock. Dressed from head to toe in custom made red armour, the only exception being his eyes, and at the age of 23, he was one of the world's most cunning and diabolical men. He was also the Yondaime Tsuchikage. _

_Blue eyes met yellow as the two jinchuuriki sized each other up._

"_Uzumaki Naruto, I presume." Akito started, breaking the silence. His answer was a polite nod. If most of his face was not cover by his red armour Naruto would have seen the bloodthirsty grin that had spread across his face. It didn't matter. He had felt it. _

"_Welcome to my village, Naruto-san. I trust that your journey was not too bothersome?"_

_Shaking of the killing intent, Naruto replied wit no emotion._

"_Not at all, Kusari-sama. It was pleasantly uneventful."_

"_Well then, please follow me to my office so we can properly discuss our new treaty. Our villages have much catching up to do, after all."_

_Without even waiting for a response he turned around, motioning for Naruto and his team of ANBU to follow. _

_Silently, they trailed the man forming a defensive square around Naruto._

_As he walked through the village Naruto noted the looks of respect and endearment which were cast to the Tsuchikage. A tinge of jealousy struck his heart. Would he ever get those looks at home? Akito was a demon container just like him yet he was treated with such respect he was in awe. Would becoming Hokage grant him these stares?_

_He was pushed out of his thoughts when Akito and his team had stopped. In front of him stood a building which stood at around half the size of the Hokage tower back in Konoha. It was dark green and carved into it was the symbol of Iwa. _

"_Let us continue our conversation in my private meeting room. Your guards need not come."_

_Naruto nodded and following the man into the building, ignoring the protests of his team. Akito lead him through the building to the topmost room before once again turning to face Naruto._

"_You are a jinchuuriki." It was a statement not a question from the man._

"_Yes I am. How does that affect our negotiations?" Naruto replied briskly._

"_It doesn't, but it's good to see a fellow demon container. I'm pretty sure I know this but out of curiosity which of the bijuu do you hold?"_

"_Kyuubi no Kitsune. You?"_

"_Gobi no Houkou. Now before we get down to business why don't we have a drink?"_

"… _I'm only 14"_

"_Lighten up, boy. You act as if the world will collapse if you relax a little. Now get that stick out of your ass and have a drink."_

_Naruto looked at the man incredulously for about three seconds before sitting down and taking the man's offer. 3 years ago he would have attacked the man with no warning, Kage or not, but years of working in the ANBU beat out what little childish innocence was left in the boy._

_Setting on the table two cups of Sake, Akito looked at the boy clearly for the first time that day. At first glance one would think that standing in front of him was a boy in his teens dressed up as an ANBU for fun. He knew better._

_Uzumaki Naruto was a prodigy. He had graduated from the academy at 7, became chunnin at 9 and at the age of 14 he was already fitting in amongst the elite assassins of the ANBU. ANBU armour covered his body and the mask of a fox was strapped to the side of his head. He was never one to play by the rules. It was a standard ANBU requirement to wear a mask which covered one's _entire___face. In fact he was probably the only ANBU who could get away with that._

_Grinning the Tsuchikage gingerly removed his red mask. Sharp canines clashed against each other to give him a look which resembled that of a wild dog's. Taking a sip before talking, his voice completely different to that of the polite man who had greeted them at the village gates, Akito was careful not to let his killing intent down._

"_So, boy, ANBU at such a young age, eh? I gotta hear how this happened. Konoha giving you special treatment cause of the fox?"_

_Naruto's mind swarmed. Special treatment? In a way they did. Specially training him to become their weapon, yet at the same time fearing what would happen if he grew too strong, they restricted his learning so that he would be a useful but controllable weapon to them. _

_His teacher was a man who worked specifically for the purpose of moulding him and his teammates into perfect weapons to be used at Konoha's will._

"_I am Konoha's jinchuuriki. Do you think they would let such an opportunity as to mould me into the perfect weapon pass by?"_

"_Che. Good answer kid, but tell me, do you truly want to be Konoha's weapon?"_

"_I am a tool. It does not matter what I want."_

"_So you say, but let me tell you that it is always your choice. 'To be hated and feared or loved and revered'. Heh. Believe it or not I actually got that from another jinchuuriki."_**(A/N: Guess who in your review.) **

"_Why?" Naruto asked something akin to bitterness in his voice._

"_Why what?" Akito smartly responded._

"_Why is it that they don't hate you?" Naruto whispered his voice holding with it a tinge of jealousy "Why don't they fear you? They don't run away or whisper behind your back."_

_Akito's gaze softened and his killing intent relented. He may have slayed thousands of men and women, left hundreds of their children orphaned, but he was not heartless. Plus he felt a certain kinship with the blond considering both their situations._

"_What I have, I earned. It was not easy. In fact even if _you_ became Hokage you may never get what I have here, but that shouldn't be a reason to live an empty life. No. Became better then that. Konoha may see Uzumaki Naruto as their perfect tool but that does not mean you have to see yourself like that." He gave a small pause before continuing. "The Kyuubi is the Kyuubi, you are Uzumaki Naruto."_

"…"

"_Well, now that that's settled how about that treaty?"_

_--Flashback Ends---_

The next day he had quit the ANBU. Sarutobi was surprised, not displeased. He told Naruto that if that was his decision he would not go against it.

From that day forward he had lived his live as Konoha's most promising chunnin. Taking on countless C and B rank missions (and even some A-rank ones if he was lucky) for years earned him quite the reputation. It was not long before he was promoted to Jounin.

Today he was going to go to the Hokage to get his first mission as a jounin.

_The Kyuubi is the Kyuubi, you are Uzumaki Naruto._

For the first time in a long time he gave a small smile. He wasn't the Kyuubi. He wasn't the village's tool. He wasn't that empty emotionless boy that he was years ago.

He was Uzumaki Naruto.

**Well what do you think? I worked pretty hard on it after all. This is going to be my first fanfic which is not a one-shot. I'm pretty excited. **

**To answer a couple of questions I think people may have. Naruto graduated from the academy at 7 and his gennin team had consisted of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, his sensei being one of Danzou's most trusted. All three of them were promoted to chunnin on their first try and stayed fairly close over their careers, even though Naruto and Itachi joined the ANBU, whereas Shisui continued to be promoted to jounin. Both Naruto and Itachi were mentally attacked after that and attempted to be twisted to become Danzou's slaves. It didn't work on Naruto. He did have contact with most of the other jinchuuriki before and just for the hell of it I'll tell you guys that one of these incidents was what Naruto was dreaming about.  
**

**Any more questions just ask. R&R **

**PS: If anyone can guess which jinchuuriki would say what Akito said, write it down in your review and if you get it right you get a special reward! XD**


	2. The New Mission

**A/N: Second Chapter. Didn't think I'd get this far. **

**Kudos to:**BlueBakaNinja,The Three Stoogies, moonray9** for guessing the correct answer! It was killer bee. You all get a cookie each.**

**Many thanks to:**Gravenimage, exwindz** for reviewing. You guys rock!**

**If I missed anyone I am terribly sorry and will do 200 laps around Konoha and 500 finger push-ups to make up for it. Please don't stop reading or reviewing!**

**I've decided to take the time to make this chapter longer based on their reviews so please give me your constructive criticism. It is greatly appreciated.**

**On with the story:**

**The New Mission**

"No."

The statement was definite. It was unchangeable. No matter what the old man said nobody was going to make him change his mind. He knew that as a jounin he had responsibilities towards the village to take even the most gruelling of missions but there had to be a line.

Uzumaki Naruto was absolutely _not _going to take on a gennin team.

"Naruto my boy. I'm afraid it isn't your choice. Every jounin has to go through this sooner or later. Look at Kakashi. You don't see him complaining. He just sets up extremely difficult tests to make sure that nobody in his gennin squad would ever pass. Why can't you do that?" Sarutobi asked feeling a migraine coming up. They had been discussing this for what seemed to be hours.

"Because it's supposed to be my first mission as a jounin, damnit! You can't make me do stuff against my will, old man!" Naruto replied stubbornly.

Sarutobi gave a quick but weary sigh. Ever since the boy had quit the ANBU he had become more and more open. At first he was happy for the boy, considering that it was the first time he showed any psychological stability ever since Itachi became a missing-nin, but now it was getting annoying. The boy seemed to show no restraint when it came to getting what he wanted or expressing his opinion.

"Naruto, act your age."

"Like hell!"

"Naruto…"

"I'm only 17! You bastard how can you do this to me!"

"NARUTO! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE SHUT YOUR &#$ING MOUTH!"

"…Wow man, all you had to do was ask. No need to yell. Sheesh."

Suddenly that pen at the side of his desk was looking pretty useful. Oh yes. He had always heard that suicide was painless. Plus no more Naruto. No more paperwork. No more Naruto. No more treaties. No more Naruto. No more speeches. Did he mention no more Naruto?

He was cut off from giving a maniac laugh from Naruto's voice.

"YO! Old man! You still alive?"

"Unfortunately."

"Well listen up! This is the last time I'm gonna say this. NO!"

"And this the last time I'm going to say this. Either you test this team or go through the rest of the year with D-rank missions!"

Sarutobi did not even bother to hide his grin when Naruto paled considerably. _Oh yes, it's good to be in charge._

"F-Fine! But don't think that they'll pass!" Naruto stuttered before grabbing the team's file on Sarutobi's desk and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Where the hell is our sensei? How dare he keep us waiting like this." Sakura yelled incredulously.

"I-It's alright , Sakura-san. I'm sure he has an important reason." A certain white-eyed girl shyly stuttered.

"… You're both annoying."

"You don't mean that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said fluttered her eyelashes and latching herself to Sasuke's arm.

"Get. Off. Me." Sasuke growled.

Blushing Sakura baked off to join Hinata who was shyly observing them.

'_These are my team-mates? How am I supposed to become strong enough to kill Itachi with them by my side?' _Sasuke grimaced at the mere thought of the man he hated more then anything.

"Sorry to interrupt your little drama here, but are you guys supposed to be team seven?" a voice cut him out off his thoughts.

All three of the snapped their heads around to see a boy who looked around 18 donned completely in ANBU armour. His blue eyes crinkled mischievously and a small smile was placed on his face.

"Yes." Sakura was the first to respond immediately forgetting about how late he was and enjoying herself by simply staring at him. _He's pretty hot. Not as handsome as Sasuke, but still._

Hinata however was speechless. A small blush adorned her cheeks as she stared. _Why is my heart beating so fast? (__**A/n: I thought this would be an interesting twist. Hina's got a crush on the teacher!)**_

Sasuke could not be more pleased. _An ANBU as my teacher. Finally. I can get the power to kill _him_. But why does this man look so familiar?_

Before any of them got a chance to peer closer the blond quickly disappeared, but not before giving them a quick message.

"Meet me on the roof."_I've got my hands full ,don't I?_

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Minutes later Naruto stood comfortably leaning against a railing looking across from his 3 students. The Uchiha looked to be brooding in the middle, whereas the pink-haired girl was simply fawning over him and the Hyuuga girl was looking at the floor pressing her fingers against each other.

"Well, why don't we start by introducing ourselves?" Naruto asked, effectively snapping the three out of their routine.

"Err, sensei? Why don't you show us how it's done?" The pink haired girl asked.

"Well, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen. My hobbies include eating ramen and buying it. My dislikes are the 3 minutes it takes to cook instant ramen. My dream for the future is to live an eventful life full of ramen. Mmm… ramen."

The three gennin sweat dropped. All they learned was his name and that he like ramen!

"Let's start with our shy little princess."

Hinata blushed before quietly stuttering, "W-Well my name is Hyuuga Hinata. I like flower pressing and cooking. Ano, I don't really have any dislikes. I suppose my dream for the future is to become a strong leader." The last part was whispered and Naruto had to strain his ears to hear it.

_We've got a lot of work to do with this one._

"Alright pinky your turn."

"My name is NOT pinky. It is Haruno Sakura. I Like…" She paused to look at Sasuke, "My hobbies include.." Another look at Sasuke, "My dream for the future…" Wow this girl could not get enough Sasuke!

"Any dislikes?"

"INO-PIG!"

"Well then, , you're up." His response was a small glare before he received an answer.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have many likes and a lot of dislikes. My hobbies are unimportant. I don't have a dream for the future. Merely an ambition which I will make into reality. That is, to kill a certain man. I also want to revive my clan."

Naruto gave a curt nod.

"I se. But you do realize how difficult that will be."

Sasuke gave a grave nod. "I will stop at nothing to achieve my goal."

" Do you truly think you have what is required? Skill? Power? Knowledge?"

"That's why you are here." Naruto smiled to that remark. He was starting to like this boy.

"Then, Uchiha Sasuke, I will stop at nothing until you have Konoha's biggest harem. Be warned you're going to need some major power-sperm."

This was followed by Sasuke face-faulting. _While sitting down? Is that even possible?_

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, YOU BAKA?"

"I thought you wanted to revive your clan?"

"I MEANT REVENGE DUMBASS!"

"Eh? But I thought you would want to get laid first, at the very least."

"…"

"… I'm glad see my point now-" He was interrupted by the laughter of a certain shy white-eyed gennin. With a raised eyebrow he peered closer. The girl was doubled up and covering her mouth, trying to stop amidst Sasuke's death glare. He smiled and waited until she was done before continuing, "As I was saying before princess interrupted me," His smile widened when the girl blushed, "You guys aren't real gennin."

"What are you talking about sensei? We passed the exams." Sakura stated bewilderedly.

"Ah, but that was only a test to see which students had the _potential _to become gennin, nothing more nothing less. The fact is that the jounin decides if the students are worthy of being kept or not. I have to tell you right now that the chances of you failing my test are almost 100. I have never passed a gennin squad before." _Of course I never had one before either._

Ignoring the shocked looks of the gennin he continued, "Tomorrow we meet at training ground 23 at 6. Don't eat any breakfast. You'll throw up. Any questions?"Seeing Sakura raise her hand he nodded.

"Um… well. Sensei, you're supposed to be a jounin right? So why are wearing ANBU armour?"

The other two nodded and peered inquisitively at him.

"Well, Sakura, I am actually a former ANBU. I quit years ago when I was 14 to go back to being a chunnin, but this felt so comfortable that I decided to keep wearing it. In fact, I rob some from the ANBU headquarters every time I outgrew the one I was already wearing. In fact just yesterday I was promoted to jounin. Don't worry tomorrow I'm going to be wearing my new jounin uniform."

Sakura nodded before frowning.

"Then how could you have had any teams before us if you were just promoted?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. I was just screwing with you guys on that one. You still got a test but you guys are my first team. Good job on figuring that out." _Impressive insight. I'll have to keep an eye on that one._

He sweat dropped when Sakura immediately went to Sasuke to ask if he heard that. _Well, maybe not._

Giving one last look to the three he disappeared. _They are so screwed._

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"What the hell do you mean they have to pass?" Naruto said incredulously.

This was an outrage! He had gone to the Hokage to tell him that he just may let this team pass if they were lucky, only to hear that the council had ordered the team to pass. In front of him were Koharu and Homura, the Hokage's advisors and two of Konoha's elders.

"While we could not care less about the Haruno girl, we must take a firmer approach with the other two. The Uchiha and Hyuuga heir have great potential. They could become great assets to Konoha." Homura replied calmly.

"Then why have me as their sensei? Get somebody who's a better teacher. I don't want to give any special treatment."

The nerve of them! Making him a jounin sensei, then telling him how to run his team!

"Nobody is asking you to give them any special treatment, Naruto." The Hokage stated as calm as ever, "But this team must pass and you must be their sensei. And before you say anything Naruto." He said stopping Naruto from interrupting him, "You are perhaps the most powerful ninja in this village. Perhaps even more powerful then myself. If you were to teach these gennin no doubt we would have 3 more Sannin- level ninja within 4 years."

Naruto gave a small glare before relenting.

"Fine! But let me tell you something, I am gonna work them like dogs. By the time I'm done with them they are gonna be begging to go back to the academy!"

A puff of smoke and he was gone.

Sarutobi smiled. _I wouldn't have it any other way, Naruto._

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The next morning at 6 A.M. the three gennin sat down neither one willing to talk in order to conserve their energy. They had done what their sensei had asked and not eaten any breakfast. Giving each other silent nods they each set aside to their own sides.

Half an hour later, Sakura spoke.

" He's a little late today, isn't he? Ah well, he'll be here."

One hour later.

"Must have gotten a little caught up."

Two hours later.

"It's alright this place is a little hard to find anyways."

Five Hours later.

"WHERE THE &#% IS HE?"

"Now, now is that really a way for a young lady to talk?" The three gennin turned surprisingly to see Naruto standing right behind Sakura.

"YOU'RE #$%ING FIVE HOURS LATE!" Her reply was a grin.

"Yeah… I kind of forgot about you guys."

This answer gave him three death glares. Wait. _Three_? Even good-natured Hinata was glaring at him. Wow. That must be really pissed about this.

"Ahem, shall we get started?" Hearing no answer he decided to take it as a yes."I hold in my hand two bells." At this point he gave the bells a little jingle. "The one who does not have a bell by noon will go back to the academy."

"But there's only two!"

"That just means you'll have to be a little better then the rest. Ready? Then go!"

The three gennin scattered.

_At least their stealth isn't half bad. I wonder if they'll figure out the real meaning of the test?_

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

15 minutes later.

_This is getting boring. Somebody hurry up and do something._

His prayers were answered in the form of a barrage of shuriken and kunai. He gave a small grin. Look's like Sasuke was going to be his very first target.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

_Damn it! I didn't even see him make any hand seals for the replacement technique! _

Cursing silently Sasuke ran deeper into the forest… only to be meeting face to face with Naruto.

"Took you long enough. I thought I was gonna wait here all day!" Naruto complained, his voice sounding completely annoyed.

Giving no response Sasuke charged at him kunai in each hand.

Dodging Sasukes's thrusts , Naruto decided to motion at his fists. "This is pretty much all I'll need to take you down."

A flicker of rage flashed into Sasuke's eyes before he attacked. Aiming first to stab at Naruto's chest with both his kunai he waited until Naruto shifted back before kicking forward with his legs, aiming at Naruto's head with a spin kick. Launching a kunai when he saw Naruto block he kicked off from his arm and flashed through hand seals, but not before launching his second kunai at Naruto, who dodged both. Seeing Naruto move to the exact place he predicted he focused his chakra.

**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)**

A flame quickly flashed though his mouth and dosed Naruto in a giant ball of flame.

He gave a small smirk which was extremely short-lived, considering that the next second he felt himself being pulled down towards the ground.

**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique)**

The next things he saw was Naruto standing in front of him.

"Nice try, Sasuke. I'll admit that you're a step above the rest but don't think that you're strong enough to take me on all by yourself" _I wonder if he'll take the hint._

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Naruto gave him one last look and a chuckle before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

_Where did Sasuke-kun go? _Sakura wondered as she ran though the forest.

She had seen the barrage of shuriken he had thrown at Naruto but that was it.

"Sasuke-kun?" she whispered hopefully.

"You probably should be worried about yourself."

She had enough time for one last scream.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

_Was that Sakura? What could make her scream like that?_ Hinata quickly shook her head of those thoughts. _No! Concentrate Hinata! You have to find Naruto-sensei and get a bell!_

She made a quick hand-seal and activated her byakugan.

"Now, now. You don't have to do that princess. If you wanted to play all you had to do was ask."

She gasped and bit back a scream before turning around.

"W-We fight now, Naruto-sensei." She stuttered, here nervousness obvious. Her response was a feral grin.

"Well, it would be interesting to see how well the Jyuuken will fare against me. Okay, ready when you are, princess."

Not trusting her voice to speak, Hinata gave a what looked like a wild charge at him. To a jounin like Naruto it was completely clear. Her movements were in fact perfectly fluid and moved one after another with no pause. Despite the fact that they were too slow or powerful to get one clear hit at him Naruto could see the planning and concentration that was put into every attack.

_Most Hyuugas simply put all their abilities into becoming faster or manipulating their chakra to such an extent that they are ultimate attack machines. Most of the time when those people would face a jounin-level ninja they would_ _do a lot of damage but not enough to actually win the battle. This girl puts all of her attacks into such a sequence that they can do an unlimited amount of damage. As long as the opponent is slower then her she won't have a problem winning in an all out taijutsu match. Heh. She's a natural killer and doesn't even know it._

Naruto continued to dodge the attacks. This was getting boring. In a flash he had Hinata on the ground huffing for breath with him sitting on top of her. Realizing the situation she was in, she desperately tried to break free from his hold. He waited until she was finished before speaking.

"Nice try. I can tell you at the very least that while you may not have gotten the bell, you have caught my interest. You have a lot of potential." He paused at that point hearing the bell which signalled that the test was over go off. "I guess Sakura's gonna be the one tied up."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

True to his word Sakura found herself tied to a post with a disappointed Hinata at one side and a muddy murderous Sasuke on the other. She looked in front of her to see Naruto standing with a happy grin.

"Well, despite your interesting performances I can tell you all that you don't have to go back to the academy!" he said happily.

Hope shun in the gennins' eyes.

"We… We don't?" Sakura said suddenly no longer feeling bitter about being the only one tied to a post.

"Yup." Naruto said in his happy tone "You guys should quit being shinobi period!"

He noted the shocked looks the gennin gave.

"The true point of this exercise was teamwork. Together you three just may have had enough of a chance to take me down."

"Then why were there three bells?" Surprisingly it was Hinata who spoke, quiet as ever.

"An obstacle. It was there simply to see which one of you would give themselves up for the good of the team. As it turns out none of you are good enough."

It was at this point that Sasuke gave out a furious war cry before charging at Naruto. In a flash he lay in the same position Hinata had been in not too long ago.

"I'll put it like this. Hinata, kill Sakura or Sasuke dies." Not giving the stunned gennin a chance to respond he got off Sasuke. "Without proper teamwork you all may find yourselves in a situation like this." He gave a pause to let this lesson sink in. "I think that you all have potential so I'll let you retake the test in about 3 hours under the pre-tense that Sakura does not get any of the lunch I am giving you."

Without giving the shocked gennin a chance to respond he walked away.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A low growl cut through the air. Sakura blushed. Silently cursing her stomach for being so loud, she stared hungrily at the bentos Sasuke and Hinata were eating. They must have noticed this because they turned their gaze towards her. She started to apologize only to be cut off by Hinata shoving her food in her face.

"H-Here."

"What? Are you sure Hinata? I mean I don't want the team to fail because of me and my stomach." Sakura said incredulously.

"I-It's alright. I looked around and couldn't see Naruto-sensei anywhere." The girl stated shyly.

"Bu-" Sakura started only to be cut off with Sasuke forcing food in her mouth.

"Just. Eat."

His response was a nod with anime tears as Sakura rejoiced the moment.

"You. Guys." A voice cut her out of her moment."What. Did. I. Say?"

They gulped at the frightening aura surrounding the man.

"W-We're team-mates! W-We are not going to let each other starve just like that!" Hinata surprisingly shouted/stuttered. Her remark was followed by a nod from Sasuke and a 'Yeah!' from Sakura.

"…Oh. Well, in that case you guys pass. Good job!" Naruto replied his aura suddenly changing from murderous to nice.

"YEAH! EVEN IF WE HAVE T- Wait. What?"

"I said you guys pass. If that wasn't a show of teamwork I don't know what is."

Cheers were given out from each of the gennin (including the emo-boy!).

"Meet me again here tomorrow for our first day as a true squad." Naruto said as he walked off, and Sasuke following him.

Maybe he was gonna like this team. It certainly was full of interesting individuals. Maybe they wer-

"HEY! YOU STILL DIDN'T UNTIE ME!" Sakura cried out, only to be ignored.

Maybe they weren't so bad after all.

"THIS IS SO NOT FUNNY! COME ON GUYS!HINATA! NARUTO-SENSEI!SAAAAASUUUUUUUUUUUUKE-KUUUUUUUUN!"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

**Well, what do you think? Personally I think I made Naruto a bit too much like Kakashi. I'll try to tone it down a bit but that is pretty much who I'm basing his character on. They had really similar lives in this fic. **

**For those of you who have questions about why Naruto seems so different from the prologue. Let me tell you that last chapter was almost completely comprised of a flashback. That means that 3 years ago Naruto used to be cold and emotionless, but now he's more open and everything. It toke a while but ,yeah, now he is the person he is today. Personally, I like this more aloof but powerful Naruto then the cold one any day of the week.**

**THE CHAPTER QUESTION IS: Which of the two do you think is stronger at the moment?**

**-KillerBee(8-tails jinchuuriki)**

**-Kusari Akito(5-tails jinchuuuriki and my OC) You may not have heard alot about him but just go with your gut feeling!**

**Answer in your review. Find out the answer next chapter! **


	3. Team Seven

**A/N: Originally I was planning on going straight to the Zabuza saga, but now I have decided against it. I think that instead I will give one chapter to character development. This one is completely central one team seven. **

**Review Highlights got to: **BlueBakaNinja, The Three Stoogies,

**Sorry to whomever else I missed.**

**The answer for the question was KillerBee. Honestly when I thought about it, despite how strong Akito is being the Tsuchikage and all, I would put Killerbee at a higher level. The main reason being his 8 tailed beast and his relationship with it. Akito is actually similar to Gaara in the way that his beast keeps whispering to him at night for blood and such, but his seal is extremely strong so he doesn't have to worry about it coming out when he is asleep. Nightmares still happen tho'.Therefore he tends to rely on his own power a hell lot more and refuses to use the demon's just to spite him. **

**Good job to anyone who got that right.**

**Now, then on with the story!**

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**Team Seven**

Naruto yawned. It was probably around time to get up. He had told his gennin team to meet him at, what they had dubbed as 'The Team Seven Bridge', around 9 AM.

Throughout the week he had gotten to know them he found himself enjoying their company more and more. They were interesting Individuals at the least. He smiled thinking of their newfound bond, before giving a glance at the clock.

11:47 AM.

Oh well. He still had a couple of hours.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"So, what's your excuse this time?" Sasuke asked expectedly. He and Hinata had grown used to the routine of Naruto being late after all. Unfortunately for their sensei Sakura had not and at this moment was struggled to hold back a barrage of curse words and insults.

"Hm…well. I was attacked by … pirates." To his surprise Sakura only responded with a questionable shake of the head.

"Pirates"

"…Yeah"

"…"

"…"_Here it comes._

"THIS IS KONOHA NOT THE %$!ING GRAND LINE YOU DUMBASS!" **(A/N: Bad joke but if you are interested in Naruto One Piece XOVERS you should really read Quest to be the Greatest by ****FictionReader98****. It is goooooooooooooood!)**

"…Touché."

"AURGH!"

Naruto smirked. As much fun as it was to get on the pink haired girls nerves it really was time to get down to business. After waiting for Sakura to calm down he spoke.

"At first I thought that we should do a couple more D-Rank mission," He started, noting the death glares he was getting from each of the gennin. "But, seeing as that's all we've done for that past week and that you guys should have enough money to last the rest of the month… I've decided to start your true training as of now." This seemed to stop the death glares, well Sasuke's and Hinata's at least.

"So you're finally going to get off your ass and do what you're paid to do?" Sasuke remarked giving his teacher one of his signature smirks which said 'Do as I say or live the rest of your life with no arms and legs'.

"What are you going to teach us?" Hinata asked amazingly keeping her voice at a normal tone, well _her _normal tone, with no stuttering. After an entire week she was comfortable enough with everyone to speak normally.

"Well, princess, first off congrats for going through a whole sentence without stuttering," he stated, ignoring her blush, "I'm going to teach you to climb trees! Isn't that exciting?"

Judging from the deadpanned looks he got he guessed not.

"Now, now kiddies don't be so quick to judge. You're going to be doing this without using your arms at all!" This got their attention. He motioned the move to a nearby tree before making a half ram seal and concentrating his chakra. Taking a quick step to maintain his focus he abruptly started to walk up the tree, the whole while not even lifting a finger. Seconds later, he hung upside down on a branch observing his gennins shocked and interested faces.

"Anyone wanna take a guess on how I did this?"

"Chakra. You used chakra." Sakura's voice rang out.

Naruto gave a nod before jumping down.

"This is a chakra control exercise used by many shinobi. I believe in total there are several essential ones you need to know to become a jounin. This is one of them. Every once in a while I'm going to teach you one and I don't want you to stop practicing it until you can use it perfectly. Got it?" After receiving three nods he continued, "Good. Now then, the purpose of this exercise is to be able to manipulate the amount of chakra you can use at a continuous rate. Once you master this you will have a hell lot more control over the amount of chakra you use in a jutsu. Any questions?" Taking the silence as a 'no' Naruto continued. "From now on our routine will be morning practices, followed by missions from noon to 3 and finally evening practices. This won't change unless we get a long term mission. This week,however, will be different. You are going to spend every waking second of it training. Got it?" Once again he was answered by the shifting of heads. _Wow, I'm talking to a bunch of robots. Maybe _this_'ll get their gears moving. _

"Whoever masters this exercise by the end of the week gets to learn a special new jutsu taught to you by yours truly."

Even as the words left his mouth he could see Sasuke brace himself and ran at a tree.

"Hmm…Sasuke's got the right idea. How about you guys mark how high you go each time? That way you can challenge yourself to go higher." He saw the gennin nod before each pulling out kunai.

Having nothing more to say he left.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Sakura was the first to finish. In less then an hour she was able to climb all the way to the top of the tree. Giving an excited squeal she raced back down to ask Sasuke if he needed any help.

"Good job, Sakura." Naruto's voice cut through her plan. "You got this done pretty fast. I guess you're just a natural at chakra control. Well, you've got two choices. Either I can teach you how to use a special genjutsu of mine or you could get started on the next exercise." He finished, pleased to see she was giving this a lot of thought.

Sakura's mind was racing. _Which should I pick? I'm not exactly at the perfect degree of chakra control yet but my knowledge of jutsus is completely limited to the academy standards!_ After giving herself a few more seconds to decide, she answered.

"I want to learn the genjutsu!" To that she earned an ear-splitting grin.

"Alrighty then. Follow me. When either of you two master this seek me out and I'll teach you your technique."

As Sakura left she failed to notice the jealous glare Sasuke had sent at her back.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Show me how you do it."

Hinata gaped. The _great_ Uchiha Sasuke was asking for help! After seeing that she could accomplish it about a day after Sakura had finished, he decided it was time to ask for help! Looking closely she could see that he was blushing slightly and looking away, embarrassment clearly written on his face._ It wouldn't be nice to not help…_

"O-Okay then." Hinata said, attempting to hide her disbelief. "Why don't you run up the wall and I'll follow you with my byakugan? That way I can see if you're putting in too much chakra or perhaps too little."

Nodding, Sasuke concentrated his chakra to his feet and ran straight up the tree. He had gotten nearly halfway to the top before falling. All the while Hinata watched him closely, her byakugan activated. She waited until he had caught his breath and turned around to face her before talking in her shy tone.

"You have the right amount of chakra at the beginning, but as you get higher you tend to overcompensate. If you want, I can stay here and warn you when you're using too much or too little. It'll be training for me to use my byakugan, too." Seeing Sasuke nod, she set herself down on a nearby stump.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu** (**Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)**

Naruto frowned.

"Sakura, you're still not putting enough chakra into this technique! You may have amazing chakra control, but that is useless if you don't add enough chakra. While you may be able to trap an academy student or maybe even a really weak gennin, this technique is useless against anyone stronger then that!"He paused, taking a second to let the information sink in to exhausted girl. "Repeat the basic concept of this technique to me."

"It is my control over the chakra placed in the technique that makes this illusion more effective, but it won't make a difference if the opponent is able to break free." Sakura answered, still panting.

"And how do you make sure that they don't escape?" Naruto pressed.

"Add more chakra." She dutifully replied.

"That's right! It may seem harder to control massive amounts of chakra but if you want effective illusions you're going to have to get used to it. Got it?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Then once again!"

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"That's not enough, Sasuke! You have to put in more!"

Sasuke grimaced at Hinata shouts. It was getting kind of ann- WAIT! What? Hinata and shout in the same sentence? (**A/N: Run for your lives! It's the apocalypse!).**

Yes, she was shouting. Completely forgetting her normal shy demeanour, she instead concentrated on berating Sasuke's every single move. As annoying as it was, it was pretty damn useful. He was now at about three quarters to the top of the tree and getting used to it. Therefore, he decided against mentioning her new change. He noted that she was able to activate her byakugan with only one hand seal now.

It was good for both their own goods.

"Sasuke! Your still putting in too little! Slacking off isn't going to do you any good!"

Yeah, good for both of them. Giving his ears a nice rub to calm down their redness, he set out on another run at the tree.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Yes! That's it Sakura! Good job!"

Sakura was practically beaming. She had finally mastered that god-forsaken genjutsu that Naruto-sensei had started to teach her. Okay, truth to be told, it was only a D-Rank technique but at least she was able to use it efficiently on most gennin! Naruto-sensei had said it himself!

"Just in time too, huh? Tomorrow we're going to be meeting at the bridge to restart our normal schedule. Go home and relax a little." Mirroring Sakura's wave of goodbye, Naruto trailed his thoughts back to his other two gennin.

Sasuke and Hinata had not come to see him at all this week and today was the last day. He wondered if perhaps he should have gone to help them, but decided against it. They had to learn this by themselves.

"Hn…sensei…where's my jutsu?" A familiar voice threw him at of his thoughts.

Naruto smiled and turned to see Sasuke, looking as tired and dirty as ever, being supported by a worried looking Hinata. _Hmm…What's this now?_

"So it looks like you toke my words and training to heart, eh?" His response was a nod and, surprisingly enough, a small genuine smile from the Uchiha avenger.

"I'm not so weak as to let anything stand in my way. I'm strong enough to learn things by myself, anyways."

"There is still much to learn my young apprentice." Naruto noted Sasuke's respectful nod. "Getting a girl is one thing, but keeping her is another." It was at this point he chose to ignore Hinata's blush and the strangled war cry Sasuke was giving off. "That is why the jutsu I have decided to teach you is my own custom-made… **GETTING LAID NO JUTSU!**"

"…"

"…Ah, so impressed that you have nothing to say, eh? It's alright, you can thank me lat-"

"I"LL KILL YOU!"

"USE PROTECTION!" was the last thing Naruto said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

Sakura was happy to see that everything was back to normal the next day. Hinata and Sasuke were back and Naruto-sensei was 5 hours late again. Humming to herself happily she counted her shuriken, considering how many she should throw at their jounin instructor today.

If Sakura wasn't to busy planning how to get away with homicide she would have noticed that Hinata and Sasuke refused to meet each other's eyes or even talk at all. However, getting away with murder was more important, so, oh well!

Sasuke was actually pretty pissed off. Not because of his sensei's annoying comments, but mainly because of the fact that HE STILL NEVER GOT HIS JUTSU GODDAMNIT! Suddenly his sensei's death by a barrage of kunai seemed pretty important right about now.

Hinata meanwhile was just looking away and avoiding eye contact with her two homicidal team-mates. Why was her sensei always late? On that note why did she always come on time?

Seconds later a puff of smoke and flying kunai alerted her of their sensei's arrival.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura's voice rang loud enough to reach halfway across Konoha.

"Eh? I actually got a good excuse this time!"

"YEAH RIGHT!"

"Seriously! I went to the Hokage and asked that he give us our first C-Rank mission."

"SURE YOU DI- Wait. REALLY?" Sakura's still loud but hopeful tone rang out.

"Yeah! So back your bags and tents kiddies! We're going to the Wave Country!"

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**A/N:I've decided to start up my own Omake Section! I've seen authors do this so why not try it out! I'll even post some more of these IF I reach the amazing number of 15 reviews.**

**Omake#1; What really happened was this:**

"YOUR LATE!"

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that on the way here… I met my long lost brother and he needed my help to go find the hidden skull of Iwa. It was a long adventure which took months and months to accomplish. In the end we managed to find it but had to put it back into it's rightful place or risk... the rise of the great, but cruel, King TukTuk who lived thousands of years ago."

"…Wow sensei…That was weak, even for you." Sakura said holding up a sign which said 4.

Sasuke nodded "It was just lacking. I honestly didn't feel anything." He had a sign which said 2.

"I am disappointed." Hinata stated, err, disappointedly. She had given him a 1.

"We're sorry but you're not going to become the next Konoha Idol."

Anime tears trailed down Naruto's eyes before he walked off, mumbling to himself all the while.

"They don't know nothin'. Yeah. See, I'm gonna be great an' they gonna wish they had me!"

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**Whew. That toke a lot out of me! For those of you who think it's kinda short compared to last chapter let me say that I have pretty much said everything I needed to get across this chapter. Next chapter you guys finally get to see Naruto fight fully or at least as close to full as he can get!**

**I figure that I'll make the Wave Arc altogether two or three chapters. It all depends!**

**For those of you who noticed that my updates are pretty frequent, let me say that it is spring break and I basically have nothing better to do! That's right! I **_**am **_**that big of a loser! **

**If you want another omake then Review!**

**R&R! Cya!**

**PS: Question for the chapter is… Should I kill off Zabuza and Haku? By the way I'm gonna make Haku a girl. No matter what. You can not change my mind. I mean look at him closely. Does that look like the face of a girl to you? I think not! **

**Well, you know the drill. Answer in your review!**

**PPS: A little poll I've set up here… Which do you prefer;**

**-SasuHina (interesting pairing to me, but honestly a very CRACK pairing.)  
-SasuSaku (Nice but seriously overdone!)  
-SasuFemHaku(Another crack pairing)  
-SasuIno (Kinda interesting , this one is)  
-SasuOC (This one is gonna be pretty hard. If so I'm either going to set him up with a jinchuuriki or a upper class clan/noble girl)  
-SasuHarem(Following through with Naruto's promise XD)**

**Just want to get your opinion! That **_**so**_** does matter! Answer in your review! **


	4. Welcome to Wave Country

**A/N: Finally! Zabuza and Haku have arrived! **

**Sorry to Gravenimage whom I missed in last chapter's review highlights.**

**Today's highlights:**

Gravenimage **(SasukeHarem, eh? Well, Naruto never goes down on a promise…)**  
zeynel **(Glad you think it's so great!)**  
apocalyps24 **(Hmm… well I didn't really know what Itachi's exact age was but it did go pretty well to make him the same age as Naruto)**  
JNottle  
The Three Stoogies**(Don't worry! I'm not that big of a fan of YAOI anyways!)**, BlueBakaNinja**(NaruXTemari! That is a really interesting pairing!)**  
Vegitunks1**(Wow man. You got some major hate for Sasuke! But thanks for the NaruYugao idea!)**  
vash3055**(Not a big fan of SasuHina, eh?)  
**yuu1202**(When Hina kissed the teacher…)XD**

**Sorry to whomever I missed!**

**1)As for the Sasuke poll I decided to remove some of the standings:**

**-SasuSaku : Decided against it after some thought. Overdone and when I think about it… kinda boring!  
-SasuIno : I'm not really sure how to get this to work. **

**So now**

**-SasuHina : 0 (For those of you who hate this pairing you really should read Light by Bullwinkle's Lady –That means you vash3055! Go on! This fic will still be here when you get back! ;D  
-SasuFemHaku: 1(This is gonna be kinda hard with what I have planned but, hey, who knows?)  
-SasuOC : 1(This one is really interesting…The OC is going to be the one who replaces Hinata on team 8!)  
-SasuHarem: 1**

**2) A lot of you have been bugging me about Naruto's pairing, but don't worry! I have a lot of ideas for it. Sorry to those of you who were hoping for a harem but I'm not really that big of a fan of that kind of that stuff. And NaruXKurenai is not gonna happen either. I'm not going to break her from Asuma (Chain-Smokers need love too!).**

**The ideas I got so far are:**

**NaruXYugao (Hayate's a problem tho')  
NaruXYugito (Jinchuuriki on Jinchuuriki!)  
NaruXAnko (This is gonna be one SCARY relationship)  
NaruXTemari (My personal favourite but I'm still thinking!)  
NaruXOC (A hard one but maybe…)**

**I'd love to gear what you guys think of them! Oh and just to clear it up it is NOT a poll! Just wanting to hear people's opinions but, hey, look on the bright side! You COULD convince me to join your party of NaruXWhoever but it'll take ALOT to convince me! Up to the challenge?**

**As for whether or not Zabuza and Haku will die…I'm on the fence. But if they do live they will most likely NOT come to Konoha. I mean, HONESTLY! Do you think that Konoha will really accept an A-Rank missing nin from one of their ally's country? **

**On with the story!**

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

**Welcome to Wave Country**

"This is supposed to be my escort? Pinkie, a blind girl and an emo kid?" an obviously drunk voice complained, ignoring the three death glares sent his way.

"I assure you Tazuna-san, that my team is completely capable of protecting you and will have no trouble escorting you to wherever you see fit." Naruto coolly replied, immediately coming to the defence of his team.

The 3rd could not help but smile at this sight. Naruto rarely came to the defence of those he did not care about. For him to stand up for his team like that meant that he was actually getting along pretty well with them, but more importantly it meant that he had found somebody else to bother but him. Whew. That toke a load off his back.

"Well, now that _that_ is settled," he said, cutting off Tazuna's complaints, "Team seven you set out the day after tomorrow. Meet at the north gate."

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

"Sensei, why is Konoha doing this mission for him? Doesn't he have his own hidden village in Wave Country?"

As per Sarutobi's command Team Seven had dutifully met at the north gate and set off from Konoha, their client surprisingly _half_ sober. Of course that only made him _half _as annoying. Trying to ignore the drunken man walking behind her Sakura took the chance to ask her sensei about the mission.

Glad to have something to ignore the old man with Naruto replied, "Not every country has a hidden village, you know. I'm sure that in the academy you learned all about the 5 main countries and the kages, correct?" His answer was three nods. "Well some countries don't want hidden villages or simply don't have the capacity for them. Those countries would pay other villages to accomplish missions for them."

Sakura gave a nod and continued on, barely noticing the two puddles that they walked by. Neither did Sasuke, Hinata or Tazuna for the matter.

But Naruto did. He smiled to himself. _Maybe this would be a good chance to give my gennin some real battle experience._

As if on cue, out of the puddles jumped out two men completely covered in armour. Charging at the now aware gennin squad they stopped only to cut straight through Naruto.

Sakura screamed at the sight of their sensei being cut in two whereas Tazuna simply froze in fear when they started to ran straight towards him.

Sasuke, however, ran at the pair. Dodging their poorly aimed attacks he kicked their chains away and threw a kunai, precisely pinning their chains to the ground. Behind him, Hinata threw three shuriken which the two easily blocked… only to find the girl behind them and their arms unable to move.

Hinata did not stop there. Palms flashing, she attacked the two in every place she could reach, tenketsu or not. Soon enough the pair were unconscious. Hinata, still seeing red, was about to place a finishing blow on the bigger of the two when she felt someone hold back her arm.

"That's enough, Hinata." Naruto said softly. Not putting his arm down the slightest.

"N-Naruto-sensei. I…I thought they…" Hinata trailed off unable to finish her sentence. It was at this point Naruto put away his grip and backed up so she could get a full view of him.

"No. They didn't. I used a replacement technique at the last second. Be-" He was cut off by a tearful Hinata running forward and hugging him. It was at this moment he could not help but smile.

_To think I mean so much to somebody. I know that I've basically been her older brother role model but to think that she cared about me that much. I don't know whether to be pleased or worried. _He gave a glance at Tazuna. _Oh well. We've got some other stuff to take care off._

Gently pushing the sniffling girl away, he turned to Tazuna.

"We've got a lot to talk about."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"…And that's how it all happened."

Naruto sighed. Tazuna had just finished his story and was trying to use the old guilt trip on him. He knew that his gennin would not stop until the mission was completed.

Oh well it wouldn't hurt to try.

"How about we go home and leave this guy here to fend for himself?" Naruto offered glancing at his squad. He gave another sigh after seeing the looks they gave him. _It was worth a shot._

"Let's get moving then."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Momochi Zabuza. Demon of the Hidden Mist."

Naruto grimaced as the words left his mouth. He knew that defending Tazuna was going to be a hassle, but could he defend his team from an A-Class missing-nin while trying to protect Tazuna at the same time? Putting his frustrated thoughts away, he turned to Zabuza, his face impassive.

" Even Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's very own Bloody Fang, knows of me. I feel so special." Zabuza's deep chuckles rang out through the wet clearing.

"Konoha's Bloody Fang?" Sakura whispered, her voice in shock. She had heard of The Bloody Fang before but thought that was only simple rumour. Zabuza must have Naruto mistaken with somebody else. There is no way Naruto could have slaughter an entire battalion of enemy ninja with his bare hands.

"That name is behind me, Zabuza." Naruto calmly replied, trying to dissuade his gennin from the conversation.

"As you wish… But in exchange let me take the old man's head."

Suddenly the air felt heavy and dense. Killing intent raged throughout the clearing, even Sasuke was visibly quaking with fear. Hinata and Sakura, however, could not move the slightest.

"Don't worry, I won't let my comrades die." The statement, quick and meek as it was, did the trick. His squad seemed to be a lot more calm. Sakura even gave a sigh of relief.

Only to hear Zabuza whisper in her ear.

"I'll let you die first."

His sword thrust was blocked quickly by Naruto, kunai in hand.

"Why don't you take care of me first?" With that the two disappeared to the space far out in front of the gennin and Tazuna.

Giving one brief second to give one last stare into their enemy's eyes, they moved.

Twisting and weaving, Zabuza's sword cut through the air meeting at the end of each thrust with Naruto's kunai. Grinning, he and Naruto did the last thing the gennin expected.

They sped up.

Then two blurs were all the gennin could see and the clashing of metal all that they could hear.

As suddenly as it started it stopped. The gennin peered closely to see Zabuza giving off a maniacal aura and Naruto standing calmly in front of them.

"Zabuza…you're boring me. I'll give you one last chance to get serious. Take your best shot"

Instead of giving a witty remark, Zabuza simply flashed through hand seals. Naruto all the while stood there, true to his word, looking bored.

**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (****Water Release: Grand Waterfall Technique)**

A torrent of water rushed towards Naruto, who had then decided it was time to move. Making two Kage Bunshins quickly he set them both diagonally from him holding their arms out and manipulating chakra. He did not even blink when the water was directly in front of him. Focusing all of his control he gave a small smirk.

**Kyousei ****Shouheki**** Rasengan (Great Barrier Rasengan)**

Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura could only watch in awe as what looked to be a gigantic ball of chakra simply deflected the rushing torrent of water. Observing as the water flew everywhere, even some on them, they turned to Zabuza.

He was, if it was possible, shocked. _The brat stopped my best jutsu and made it look like it was nothing!_

"I warned you Zabuza…" Naruto's voice cut him out of his thoughts, "…You had you're chance. Are you ready to die?" Without even waiting for an answer, he disappeared… only to reappear in front of Zabuza and aim a stab at his shoulder.

Zabuza, quick as he was, blocked with his blade and jumped back…only to run into the two Kage Bunshins, who still had not dispelled. Zabuza cursed silently and decided to flash through hand seals for a paralysis technique.

Too bad Naruto beat him to it.

**Kanashibari no Jutsu (Temporary Paralysis Technique)**

**__****DAMN! **Was the one thing going through Zabuza's mind as Naruto walked towards him, kunai in tow, and right before he was blissfully knocked unconscious. The only thing wrong with this picture w as that Naruto had not done it… it was instead done a boy wearing a hunter-nin mask.

"Thank you for detaining him for me. I have been hunting this one for a long time." The boy's smooth voice glided through the clearing.

Naruto gave a light nod and decided not to pursue the matter. Turning to his gennin, he quickly asked if they were okay, before turning back to the hunter-nin.

"I'm warning you…if you or Zabuza attack our client again…I won't show any mercy." His response was a swirl of leaves and the two disappearing.

"Sensei? Why would you tell that boy not to attack us? He wasn't with Zabuza." Sakura's perplexed voice inquired.

"He was."

"But-But he was wearing a hunter-nin mask! And Zabuza is a missing-nin!"

Naruto gave a small shrug. "It doesn't take all that much to kill a hunter-nin and dress up as him…at least not for somebody at Zabuza's level."

"Then why did you let him get away?"

"I figured that they might not attack us again. Or he might be a real hunter-nin. It doesn't make a difference. I'm strong enough to take either of them on any day of the week…except maybe Tuesday. That's when they have to discount special at Ichiraku Ramen…mmm…ramen…"

The three gennin could only sweatdrop at their sensei's aloof attitude.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Katon: Ryuusei Ame?" _Metor Rain technique?_

To say Sasuke was pleased would be an understatement. He was practically jumping out of his shorts in joy, well not literally because Uchiha's don't do that, but hey! He was till pretty excited!

Naruto was finally fulfilling his promise of teaching him a powerful jutsu. Composing his face into a confident smirk he turned to Naruto awaiting his response.

"Yup. It's a jutsu that I personally developed. I suppose it sort of like the Uchiha's Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu, except more powerful and a hell lot more bullets. Read the other scroll, too."

"Katon: Ryuusei Shuukyoku?" _So, Meteor Finale?_

Sasuke nearly gaped. Two jutsu? Life was starting to look good.

"It's sort of like your grand fireball but more powerful and you can launch it anywhere not just in front of you. Also invented by yours truly here. Want I should show you?"

Sasuke nodded and stepped back from the clearing they were in, giving Naruto as much space as he could. Jumping high into the air Naruto flashed through hand seals. After he was done he placed arms directly in front of him pointed to a nearby patch of trees. **(A/N: Think of Goku's kamehama attack…sorta) **

**Katon: Ryuusei Ame (Fire Release: Meteor Rain)**

What looked to be miniature meteors in flames flew down and rapidly attacked every single thing that Naruto was pointed. Sasuke watched in awe as the so called 'Meteor Shower' destroying almost every single one of the trees, noting that instead of immediately setting the trees on fire it first pushed the trees back slightly (almost as if the meteors were punching the trees) before the fire had spread. In the end there was only one tree left standing, which he was sure Naruto kept alive on purpose.

Landing right beside Sasuke, with a feral grin strapped to his face, Naruto slapped him on the back, "Well? What do you think?"

"That…was amazing."

"Remember this, it requires a certain amount of chakra in each meteor and you have to be able to aim them all. Only downside is you need to be high in the air or it won't work. But when it does you got two choices. Either you spread it over an area to get multiple enemies or stop that one annoying guy who's standing between you and sweet, sweet ramen…mmm…ramen…"

"Can you show me the other one?" Sasuke asked, interrupting Naruto's, err, fantasy?

"Hmm? Oh yeah, sure! But I don't except you to master this one in just two weeks. It takes a huge amount of chakra, just enough to make 2 kage bunshins, whereas the other one takes up a lot less. Concentrate on the other one, alright?" Receiving a nod he jumped up once again, flashing the hand seals all the way . This time when he finished he held one arm completely in front of him with the other grasping it's wrist, the whole time pointed at the single tree that was left alive.

**Katon: Ryuusei ****Shuukyoku (Fire Release: Meteor Finale)**

This time, instead of multiple meteors forming around him, one huge burning meteorite came into existence, directly in front of his palm. Holding it for several seconds before launching it at the single tree, Sasuke watched in excitement.

The tree did not stand a chance. The meteorite destroyed it before the fire even started to spread causing a bit of an explosion the instant it touched the ground. Seconds later, Naruto stood in the middle of a crater the size of a house.

"Along with the huge amount of chakra it needs a while to prepare…you're gonna need someone to distract the enemy or use a paralysis technique. Ah well don't look so down…you still got the other attack, eh?" Turning to face Sasuke, he explained.

"Now then, as for you two…" Naruto gave his body a complete 180 to face his other two gennin, who had been watching the entire exchange. He noted their awestruck faces before talking.

"Sakura, I get a special technique for you in mind…Do you still remember your element?"

The pink haired kunuichi nodded, remembering yesterday's conversation.

-=-=-_FLASHBACK-=-=-_

_They had just gotten to Tazuna's house and after having breakfast there, Naruto had motioned for them to go outside into the forest just behind the house. Naruto pulled out four pieces before handing out three of them to his bewildered gennin, keeping one for himself. _

"_I want you guys to add chakra to the cards, okay? It should react to you elemental affinity and, before you say it Sakura, elemental affinity is a shinobi's natural element to which he or she is able to control with very little effort. HA! Take that, smartypants!" Ignoring Sakura's threatening growl, he continued by holding out his card and adding chakra to it. The three gennin watch as the card split in two before burning up. "As you can see, my elements are wind and fire. You guys try it."_

_Hinata went first. Her paper split in two as well. _

"_Congrats, princess, you got wind! I have a shitload__ of wind techniques so you don't have to worry about a thing!"_

_Sasuke went next. His paper crinkled up before setting on fire just as Naruto's did._

"_Interesting…you have two elements. Not many gennin or even chunnin for that matter can say that! I think I'll teach you some of my signature fire techniques!"_

_Finally it was Sakura's turn. Her paper instantly became damp._

"_Well, what do you know? Water. Huh, we certainly got a variety of elements here. Sorry Sakura, my water jutsu library is pretty limited, but when we get back to Konoha I'll be sure to get you a proper sensei!"_

-=-=-_FLASHBACK ENDS-=-=-_

"Well, the technique I have for you should look familiar! Mizu-bunshin technique is fairly similar to the kage bunshin except only 1-tenth as powerful. It's pretty convenient because it only takes up a little bit more chakra then a regular bunshin. Here's the scroll I wrote up for it!" Naruto said tossing her a scroll. Seeing her nod determinedly made him smile, before he turned his attention to Hinata.

"As for you, princess, you get two kickass attacks! Futon: Daitoppa and Kaze no Yaiba. I would suggest that you learn the Daitoppa first, though." Naruto said before tossing Hinata her very own pair of scrolls. "Before I leave, let me ask…did you ask your father for the kaiten scroll before we left Konoha like I told you?" Seeing a nod he continued, "Good. If you want, you can practice that as well. Also, so you get some practice I want you to try and keep your byakugan activated the entire time you are practicing, got it?" Once again he received a nod.

"Good. Get to work everyone!" Naruto finished before turning to return to Tazuna.

_Give us your best shot, Zabuza…we'll be ready._

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

**Good job for reaching the record line! Here's your prize!**

**Omake #2**: What really happened was this!

"…And so you add chakra to it and POOF! There you have it! Your own elemental affinity! You go first Hinata!"

"Okay…" Hinata said unsurely manipulating her chakra into the paper.

"Alright! What do you got for me."

Seconds later, Hinata looked up, confused.

"Umm… Naruto-sensei…I think you gave me a discount coupon for Ichiraku Ramen instead of the paper."

Naruto peered closely before his eye's widened.

"This…this is no joke Hinata…You have the elemental affinity of…" He paused before looking Hinata straight in the eye. "…ramen…"

Hinata suddenly felt a twitch on the corners of her eye.

"…Marry me." Twitch. Twitch.

_Slap!_

"WAIT! COME BACK PRECIOUS RAMEN!"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

**Next Omake is at 30 reviews!**

**That's all for this chapter! Next up…the bridge battle…dundundun…will Haku and Zabuza die?...Will I stop using those annoying little triple dot thingies…Find out…Next Chapter…**

**WOW! That was hard! I gotta say I put a lot of effort into this chapter. Especially the battle scenes. What do you guys think of the jutsus? Constructive criticism greatly appreciated!**

**CYA NEXT CHAPTER!**

**PS: Chapter question is which country to you think the 7-Tails is in! I'll tell you a bit about that jinchuuriki next chapter. As a hint I'll tell you…its animal is a phoenix!**


	5. Battle at The Bridge

**A/N: WOW. This toke a while. Before you start reading, I would like to apologize in advance for the 'precious people' line. I'm sorry. I get how annoyingly cliché that is. I just didn't think that on conversation wit Haku can go by without hearing about that.**

**As for how much longer this chapter took. Well, I warned you didn't I? Expect the updates to be farther and farther apart. Don't hate me because of it. Keep reading! **

**You know what…like I care if you stop reading or reviewing! Huh… Okay I was bluffing. PLEASE REVIEW AND KEEP READING. **

**Thanks to **BlueBakaNinja **for the really helpful review. I totally agree with you, man. I may have rushed out on the whole learning new jutsus thing. It's just that I needed elemental manipulation to get in here..so…yeah. Don't worry I have corrected the damage…to a certain extent. Sorry but I already had somebody else meet Haku and I'm too lazy to change it, but Sakura will go out of fan girl mode during the chunnin exams and before 3****rd**** exam. THAT I can guarantee.**

**I gotta say tho'…I honestly hate the pre-shippuden Sakura. Plus, all these fics that make her such a bitch do NOT help. After the time skip, she has become SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better. What I really hate though is Naruto's and Sakura's relationship with Sasuke after the time skip. They seem to thin that no matter what happens Sasuke can never do ANY wrong! Even though he nearly killed him, Naruto still wants Sasuke to come back to Team Seven. Honestly, I have got to say, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT UCHIHA SASUKE WILL EVER COME BACK TO KONOHA! Especially now that he wants to destroy it. And even if he does, do they really think that Tsunade is just going to let him come back and rejoin Team Seven? No freaking way. They are probably going to lock him up, take away his sperm to make little Sasukes and let him rot. If he's lucky they'll have a public execution! Not to say that I hate him(you gotta admit that he has being psychologically tortured his whole life) but it's just that the way Naruto and Sakura view him is just unbelievable! Sakura even punches Sai for insulting him and Naruto was ready to do the same. That. Is. So. Freaking. Retarded. That's all.**

**As for the omake…you guys didn't give enough reviews so…NO OMAKE FOR YOU! Try again next time!**

**As for the review highlights:**

**-**YOURLORDANDMASTEROFINTERESTING  
-BlueBakaNinja  
-Simsen  
-sh8ad8ow  
-The Three Stoogies  
-The one and only Naruto  
-geetac  
-yuu1202  
-JNottle  
-**SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS TO **The Three Stoogies and BlueBakaNinja **WHO I JUST REALIZED WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO REVIEWED EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER SO FAR! GOOD JOB!**

**PS: Sasuke dies…**

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…**Okay. Just kidding. But hey! I got you!**

**The Battle at the Bridge**

"Tazuna-san, please move yourself behind Sakura. Hinata, Sasuke, the masked boy is all yours."

Naruto's voice seemed to have traveled across the bridged because Zabuza grinned.

"You sure about that, Fang? My apprentice here is pretty damn tough." He said signalling to the masked boy standing next to him.

"My gennin can handle themselves. Besides, I'm your problem." Naruto coolly replied.

"If you say so. Haku, the brats are your prey. Get 'em!" Zabuza ordered before he, himself, charged at Naruto, blade spinning.

Meanwhile, the masked shinobi, now identified as Haku made a charge of her own which Sasuke completely mirrored. Blocking Sasuke's attempt at stabbing him with a kunai with a senbon of his of his own he made a single one-handed seal.

**Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou (Secret Technique: Flying Water Needles) **

Sasuke jumped back, attempted to dodge the needles flying toward. Luckily for him he dodged most of them but through the side of his eye he could see Haku throwing 3 senbon at him. Choosing to take the senbon instead of the Water Needles, he braced himself for the attack…

…Only to be saved by Hinata deflecting the senbon away with a kunai of her own.

He gave a small growl, "I don't need your help. Go help Sakura protect Tazuna."

"Naruto-sensei told us both to take care of him. Besides Sakura has 3 mizu-bunshins with her." Hinata meekly replied.

"Che. Don't get in my way then." Sasuke said launching the shuriken at Haku's legs. Seeing him jump in the air he followed and aimed a spin kick at the masked boy's face.

Seeing this coming Haku blocked and was about to stab him when she noticed Hinata right underneath her, aiming to disable her legs. Flipping the ninja away while jumping back from Hinata's attack, she frowned, though the two gennin could not see it.

"Two against one isn't very fair."

"Since when do ninja play fair?" Sasuke shot back.

Giving a small grimace beneath his mask Haku flashed through seals.

**Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou (Secret Technique: Demonic Ice Mirrors)**

The next thing Sasuke and Hinata could see was a dome of mirrors made from ice.

"Up until now you have not even begun to see my true speed. Let's get started."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"I gotta admit…those brats of yours aren't half bad."

"Thank you. I could say the same about your apprentice."

"Heh. Don't get cocky. Haku won't lose. She still has yet to show her true power."

"Who says my gennin have already showed their true power? Besides, we have our own battle, don't we?"

"Kiragakure no Jutsu." Was his response.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"It's no use. Give up and accept the inevitable. You have lost." The emotionless voice of the masked ninja called out from all corners of the dome. The two gennin simply glared.

"Never." Sasuke's shot back, his newly activated sharingan eyes darting back and forth between the mirrors. He whispered from the corner of his mouth to Hinata while trying to doge the incoming needles. "Have you found him?"

"Sort of…" Hinata whispered back uncertainly dodging a needle which narrowly missed her face.

"What do you mean 'Sort of'?" Sasuke hissed under his breath, wincing when he felt on of them pierce his right arm.

"Um…While I am pretty sure that he is hiding behind one of the mirrors, there are many central points to which the illusions chakra is connecting to."

"So which one do we get? And while we're at it how are we going to get to them? Even my grand fireball wouldn't work and I still haven't mastered any of my new jutsus!"

"Neither have I, but I'm pretty sure that if we attack the one that is strongest at the moment…"

"At the moment?"

"Their chakra levels spike up once in a while. I'm not sure if that means he's just got there or he just left."

"So basically what you're saying is that he can be anywhere right now?"

"What I'm saying is that he is at one place but moving constantly. He can attack from all directions but his real body has to stay at one place, which changes every few seconds."

"Can you get him?" Sasuke asked, more out of curiosity then hope.

"I can try." Was Hinata's sombre reply.

"I've got your back." Sasuke meant it too. His new eyes couldn't miss a thing.

Nodding, Hinata quickly made a kamikaze run at one of the mirrors with Sasuke trailing behind her, ready to stop any of the needles. Surprisingly enough, they had made it all the way to the mirror with minimum injuries. He smirked when he saw Hinata steady her arm for a palm thrust.

His smirk turned into a frown as Hinata recoiled back, eyes widened.

"He moved." Her voice was urgent and anxious.

Twisting his head around he steady his spinning tomoe eyes at the figures behind them. With them he could see things in such clarity it felt like slow motion. His eyes widened as well at the next thing he saw.

A barrage of needles heading straight for Hinata.

He would have to move fast.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

To say Sakura was scared would be an understatement.

Despite the fact that she was the only one of the three gennin to actually master one of the elemental jutsus Naruto-sensei had given them, she was nervous. And it did not help her anxiety to have to listen to Zabuza's constant and death threats and the clashing of his sword against one of Naruto-sensei's kunai.

Even though there was a mizu-bunshin on every single side of Tazuna she could not help but think that without Naruto-sensei Zabuza could take out every single one in less then a second.

_Sasuke-kun, Hinata, please hurry. _

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"S-Sasuke…why?" Hinata called out to her falling comrade.

"Hn…I don't know. Maybe because I owe you for the tree climbing exercise?" Sasuke gave a weak chuckle. "My only regret is that I won't kill…him…" Sasuke trailed off his into unconioncusness.

Haku gave a respectful nod, "He sacrificed himself to save you. The boy is a true shinobi." Ignoring Hinata's shaking shoulder he continued. "Don't let his sacrifice go to waste. Leave this bridge and bury him. Is that bridge builder truly worth all this? Think fo-"

"Be quiet." Hinata softly whispered, though getting the effect that she desired when the enemy nin immediately quieted down.

"You…you killed him." Hinata stated her voice hollow. "WHY?"

"It is a shinobi's duty to kill…he knew that as soon as he put on that headband." Haku replied.

"I'll kill you." Hinata hissed anger evident in her statement.

Giving Haku no chance to reply she quickly activated her byakugan and ran at Haku who had stepped out of her mirrors to talk to her. The movement was inevitably useless, when Haku simply stepped back into her mirror.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way."

With that a new barrage of needles were sent down at her. Wincing as they pierced through her skin, she did not stop. Still running at one of the pictures she concentrated all of her power into one devastating palm thrust.

Haku could only grimace as the mirror she was standing in shattered bringing her out with it. She frowned. _How did it break? My mirrors are indestructible!_

She was completely brought out of her thoughts by Hinata's second barrage of palm thrusts, this time aimed at her shoulders and chest. Wincing, she attempted to block the next attack but found her arm moving extremely slow. She could only watch as the white-eyed girl continued to attack every single part of her that she could reach.

_Maybe because I owe you for the tree climbing exercise?_

She did not relent, chakra flaring and palms flashing.

_It is a shinobi's duty to kill…he knew that as soon as he put on that headband._

Tears spilled from her eyes as Hinata continued attacking.

_You killed him. _

Poising her arm for a killing blow, she noticed that Haku's mask had flown off. A startled gasp escaped her.

"It…It's you…"

-=-=-_Flashback_-=-=-

She had been practicing for the entire week now. Every waking second of it was spent developing her skills just as Naruto-sensei had instructed. After all that, who could blame her for setting herself down for some well-deserved rest?

Even if it was in an open forest were an enemy ninja could kill her at any second.

Twitching slightly when she felt another presence with her, she opened her blank white eyes to find hazel brown ones staring right back at her. Closing her eyes one last time before bolting back and levelling a kunai in front of her, and at the same time ignoring the small shriek from the stranger, she anxiously spoke.

"Who are you?" Her voice somehow keeping a calm tone.

"Oh, my name is Haku." A voice nearly as soft as her own identified itself. Looking closer, Hinata could see a fairly tall girl who looked only several years older then her in and in a pink kimono. She was cute too, if Hinata was to judge.

"Are you a ninja?" The girl, now identified as Haku, curiously asked. A cute look of confusion on her face, as she cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Umm…Yes I am." Hinata shyly answered. The girl had already seen her forehead protector and kunai. There was no point in hiding the fact.

"You must be very strong then."

"No. I'm not." Hinata replied dejectedly. She wasn't like Naruto-sensei or Sasuke. She was just average.

Noticing this Haku then quickly asked, "Do you have any precious people?"

"Precious people?" Hinata's perplexed voice inquired.

"People who you care about. I find that when one protects somebody that they car about they can become stronger then they have ever imagined." Haku explained.

Hinata thought about it. Precious people? Pictures of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura came into mind along with other pictures of those in her family.

Hinata then decided that she liked this person. Anyone who could come up with something like that couldn't be bad. Right?

-=-=-_Flashback Ends_-=-=-

"W-Why are _you _attacking us." Hinata asked bewilderdly.

"Zabuza is my precious person…just like that boy is yours." Haku stated a small smile adorned her face, "I offered my life to him as a tool but I have failed. I can only ask one thing from you. Please kill me."

"W-What?" Hinata stepped back. This had to be a trick. Would somebody really give up their own life because of shame?

"Yes." Haku nodded and seeing Hinata's obvious hesitation she explained. "Sooner or later, a ninja must give up their innocence and kill the enemy. That is the way of the ninja. Go ahead. Allow me to be your first kill."

"No!" Hinata cried out backing away from the girl.

Haku frowned, "You were more then prepared to do it before."

This time it was Hinata's turn to frown. What was wrong with her? Would she have actually have killed the girl if her mask had not fallen off?

"N-No. I…I wasn't myself that time. I won't kill you." Hinata stammered out.

"Please. Kill me. I have no reason to live; I have failed Zabuza-sama." Haku pleaded.

_Maybe it would be the merciful thing to do… _Hinata thought as she poised her arm for a strike.

_NO! That's not my ninja way! I won't do that _Hinata thought shaking off all her murderous thoughts. _But she is a danger to herself in this battlefield. I should probable just knock her out. _

With that Hinata lashed out her fist tightly knotted, with the intention to render unconscious not kill.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Naruto was pissed. _This is getting annoying. His style of combat is hard to finish off quickly. _And to top it off he just felt Sasuke's chakra signature drop intensively. _Better finish this fast._

"Hey Zabuza. Let's finish this fast. I've got things to do, places to be, you know?" Hearing something that sounded like a 'screw you' he flashed through seals.

**Enka Roken no Jutsu (Beacon Detection Technique)**

With that Naruto sent out a strong wave of chakra. Feeling a lot of it get blacked out by a certain missing-nin who attempted to block it out in order to remain hidden.

Powering up a Rasengan in his hand he charged towards Zabuza.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Haku's eyes widened. She could feel it. Zabuza was in trouble.

_I have to hurry_. She thought before opening her mouth to tell Hinata to stop.

Unfortunately she was cut off by Hinata's fist which rendered her unconscious.

_Zabuza-sama. I've failed you again. _

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Good job. I wasn't going to pay them anyways. You just helped me out a great deal." Evil laughter filled the area of the bridge. It belonged to none other then Gato, the man who had paid for the work of Zabuza and Haku.

The mist had cleared and the dome of mirrors was no more. Sakura was weeping beside a bleeding and seemingly dead Sasuke. Hinata was standing above an unconscious Haku, tears of her own falling onto her cheeks. Naruto meanwhile, looked absolutely furious killing intent lashed towards the man who had just brought about the death of one of his gennin.

"N-Now hold on there. Y-y-you don't want to do anything you're gonna regret. S-See? We've got the bridge builders daughter here!" Gato nervously said attempting to avoid the jounin's nervous eyes and motioning to the woman who was being held down by a bunch of scary looking yet at the same time just as nervous men.

Seeing Naruto grown before backing down brought back Gato's nerve.

"Heh. That's right. You better back down." Gato said, regaining his composure slowly.

That is, right before Naruto flashed through the seals for the paralysis technique and charged forward cutting down men left and right, starting with Gato of course, and successfully freeing an extremely frightened Tsunami. Turning back to the men, he coldly spoke, "Anybody wants some more?"

"Y-Yeah…well guess what? There's twenty of us and only one of you! Even if you beat us we'll just come back and raid the village!" A brave or stupid, depending on which way you look at it, mercenary called out.

"Like hell you will." A voice cut out before Naruto could respond. Turning around he saw a mob of villagers with Inari at the front of it all. "We're not taking any crap from anyone anymore!"

"Everyone!" Tazuna called out happily. "Don't worry! The battles over! We won thanks to these guys!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd as the mercenaries ran away, their nerve getting the best of them.

Naruto's smile finally dropped when he remembered the reason why he ended the battle early. Sasuke.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Uchiha Sasuke had awoke to something heavy on his chest. Plus something wet kept dropping unto his face. _Is it raining? _He opened his eyes to see a sobbing Sakura on top of him.

"Sakura…You're crushing me." Ignoring the girl's shriek of joy, he continued. "Seriously. Get. Off."

Turning around he saw a whole crowd of people cheering, and crying. Hell, there was even some dancing! Looking further around he could see a smiling Hinata and a grinning Naruto.

"Where are the mask boy and Zabuza?" Were the only words he had in mind of his confusion.

"Zabuza's dead and the masked boy's…gone?" Naruto finished confused.

Hinata whipped her head around to see that in fact the boy was gone and so was Zabuza's corpse.

She was interrupted from asking sensei ere Haku went by Tazuna's voice.

"Guess what? Because of all your super effort we're naming this bridge the Team Seven Bridge!

With that, all of the members of Team Seven let out a laugh. Or in Sasuke's case, a joyful smirk.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Just outside of the celebrating village stood a tearful girl standing in front of the newly dug grave of Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of The Hidden Mist.

"Zabuza-sama…I'm sorry…You died because I was too weak to save you. I failed you as a tool…but I will not let your death go unpunished."

Haku grit her teeth, not bothering to stop the flow of tears which trailed down her cheeks..

"I will avenge you."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Thanks for the hospitality."

Naruto was of course talking to the people of Tazuna's village, all of whom had gathered around the village gate to say goodbye to them. Hearing this they all grinned.

"It's the least we could do for you." Tazuna spoke up. "You got rid of Gato…Remember this. You're always welcome around here."

"That's good to know." Naruto said. He couldn't believe it but he actually might miss the old drunken man.

After saying their good-byes to the rest of the village team seven set off, back to Konoha.

"So Sasuke…" Naruto started, deciding to make some conversation on their way back. "You and Hinata were in that dome of mirrors an awfully long time." Sasuke shrugged it off.

"Hn."

"Just saying… when you came out and your clothes were messed up and your hair was all over the place." Sasuke suddenly felt a twitch on his finger towards his shuriken holster.

"Hn."

" Plus you were lying on the floor…awfully tired…" More twitching.

"HN."

" I just hoped you used protection. I mean, Hiashi would so kick yo-" This time instead of a twitch it was a full out action followed by the indignant cries of all three gennin.

"I'LL KILL YOU!." "Sensei!" "Don't insinuate things about Sasuke-kun!"

Chuckling to himself, Naruto increased his pace.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

**DONE. That toke a lot out of me. Well…there you have it people. Sorry if I disappointed you guys with my suddenly later updates but, hey, I have a life too!**

…

**Okay yeah, I was just as surprised as you are. But seriously the updates will get later. Ah well!**

**WELL THAT"S ALL FOLKS**

PS: Too lazy to come up with another chapter question so just having the same one as last chapter.

**Keep trying!**


End file.
